Euro Nitro Series unveils 2015 calendar

Following the ultra successful completion of its inaugural championship last month, Capricorn’s Eric Dankel and Team Shepherd’s Simon Kurzbuch crowned the respective 1:10 and 1:8 Champions, the organisers of the Euro Nitro Series are pleased to unveil its calendar for the 2015 season. As in 2014, when the ENS was contested by 149 1:8 and 118 1:10 drivers from around the world, the championship will continue to run over four races with Melzo in Italy once again hosting the season opener over the weekend of 17-19 April. From Italy the championship will move on to Austria, with Aigen the venue for Round 2 from June 12-14.

The only change to the ENS schedule for 2015 is to the venue of the German round with Ettlingen set to welcome competitors to it newly resurfaced track from 17-19 July. The race that attracted the biggest entry of the 2014 season, the world famous Fiorano track in Italy will on 23-25 October again be given the task of hosting the concluding round to what promises to be an even more popular second season of the Euro Nitro Series. Following its successful partnership with tyre manufacturers Matrix, Contact, Enneti and Hot Race, each of whom supplied & managed the control tyre for one round of the championship, the ENS is set to continue with this for 2015 with full details to be announced shortly.

2015 Euro Nitro Series Calendar
April 17 – 19, Melzo Bologna / Italy – Round 1
June 12 – 14, Aigen / Austria – Round 2
July 17 – 19, Ettlingen / Germany – Round 3
October 23 – 25, Fiorano / Italy – Round 4

US invasion for ENS Finale

This weekend (17-19 October) the Euro Nitro Series travels to the world famous Fiorano track in Italy for the finale of the inaugural championship with an invasion of American drivers making up the 160 strong entry. Attracting 7 US drivers, Round 4 is a truly international event for the European based 1:10 & 1:8 Onroad Championship with 18 countries represented on the entry list including Thailand and Singapore. Joining ENS regular Loran Whiting, America’s top female racer having contested the full championship, will be factory Serpent driver Paolo Morganti who is no stranger to Mini Autodromo Jody Scheckter having been a regular competitor at the annual Novarossi Trophy race held there.

Located close to Ferrari’s privately owned test track, the big focus in Fiorano is set to be in 1:8 as Team Shepherd’s Simon Kurzbuch and Mugen’s Robert Pietsch do battle for the overall title. Swiss ace Kurzbuch holds a 2-point advantage over former World Champion Pietsch, the German taking a close victory over his title rival last time out at the Hockenhiemring in Germany where Kurzbuch was Top Qualifier. While the pair will be firmly locked into their title fight, the season finale is wide open in terms of a winner. Returning to the championship having won the opening round in Melzo back in April, 9-time World Champion Lamberto Collari will be aiming to finish as he started. Last month the Italian legend took a narrow 2-second victory over ENS regular Andrea Pirani at the the Novarossi Trophy in Fiorano.

With three different winners from the opening three Rounds, Round 2 Austria winner John Ermen heads the Xray challenge in the heavily loaded factory team line-up. With the support of Morganti, Serpent’s Michael Salven will be hoping together they can claim a first victory for the reigning World Champion manufacturer. Sitting third in the standings, BMT’s Daniele Ielasi, who led Round 3 in Hockenheim before running out of fuel, will be looking to at least claim a podium for his new team and finish the first season of the ENS in the Top 3. In addition to Kurzbuch, Oliver Mack, Round 3 podium finisher Lars Hoppe and Italy’s Fancesco Tironi should be in the mix for Shepherd. Just missing out on a podium finish in Austria, former World Champion Adrien Bertin will be looking to give HB a good showing in Italy, the spiritual home of 1:8, as will Motonica’s multiple World Finalist Robin D’Hondt and BP Racing’s Mirko Salemi. As with all previous rounds of the ENS, drivers will run on the same brand of tyre with Hot Race the official tyre supplier in Fiorano.

While Capricorn/Maxima driver Eric Dankel may have an unassailable lead in the points standings, the competition in the 200mm Touring Car class will be no less fierce with a number of drivers determined to stamp their mark on the championship by becoming the 3rd winner of the season. Dankel was the winner of the opening round and again at Round 3 while Serpent’s Dominic Greiner took the win at Round 2 in Austria. Among those set to be in the hunt are Dankel and Greiner’s respective team-mates Dario Balestri and Mark Green. Set to make his ENS debut at Fiorano, 2013 European Champion Alessio Mazzeo adds to the strength of the Serpent challenge. Top Qualifier in Austria, but falling foul of the wet race conditions, Team Shepherd’s Francesco Tironi will be looking to go one better this time round in his home country having finished second at Round 1 in Melzo. Shepherd drivers have finished second at every round and the German team will be hoping podium finishers Dirk Wischnewski, Patrick Schafer and Martin Lissau continue that trend but fill the top step the fourth time of asking. Having impressed with his pace on his 1:10 debut at Hockenheim where he finished 5th, KM Racing’s Silvio Hachler is sure to be one to watch this weekend on his return to the series having missed Round 3.

ENS heads to home of German Grand Prix

This weekend (13-15 June) the Euro Nitro Series will take competitors to the home of the German Formula One Grand Prix with Round 3 of the all new onroad nitro championship taking place at the famous Hockenheimring. The only temporary track on the inaugural four race calendar, the venue has played a key role in the creation of the ENS which so far this season has produced 4 different Top Qualifiers and four different race winners. Offering up its annual ‘European Nitro Challenge’ event to be part of the ‘Pilot Series’ run by the ENS organisers last year, it was the success of this that lead to the creation of a full championship for 2014.

The winner of the season opener in Melzo, Eric Dankel goes into his home event as a strong favourite and joint leader of the points standings. 12-months ago, the Capricorn driver dominated 1:10 at the Pilot Race topping qualifying and taking the win from France’s Basile Concialdi. A year earlier he also took the TQ and was on his way to the win until a flame out left him second behind Dirk Wischnewski. Considered a home race for Team Shepherd, their headquarters just a short drive away, Wischnewski, who shares the points lead with Dankel and Round 2 winner Dominic Greiner, would love nothing more than to take his first win with his new team this weekend. Mastering the wet conditions in Austria, giving Serpent’s new 748 Natrix victory on its debut, Greiner didn’t race at Hockenheim last year but that shouldn’t hinder the talented German who will have Mark Green, who took the 1:8 win last year, back along side him after the British ace was absent from Round 2.

Top Qualifier at Round 1, HB’s Teemu Leino will try to put the disappointment of failing to convert that into a win behind him as well as making up for the disaster that was Aigen when he didn’t even make the A-Main. Runner up at his home event, Italy’s Francesco Tironi was Top Qualifier in Austria but the World Championship podium finisher would have a terrible race finishing 9th. Despite this the Shepherd driver holds fourth in the standings only 3 points off the leading trio and as the lead Italian challenger this weekend he will be determined to reverse the result of Melzo and beat the German’s on home soil.

Adding to the already ultra competitive 200mm field this weekend will be electric touring car aces Ronald Volker and Alexander Hagberg. Having secured his fourth consecutive title in the world famous Yokomo Euro Touring Series last weekend in Luxembourg, Volker joins the ENS thanks a deal put together by Mugen designer Robert Pietsch. Having contested Round 4 of the ETS with one of Volker’s Yokomo chassis, Pietsch is returning the favour by providing Volker with a prototype MTX-6 for Hockenheim. Volker last raced nitro at the 2012 World Championship in Thailand and is very much looking forward to his return with Awesomatix lead driver & former 200mm Euro B Champion Freddy Sudhoff acting as his mechanic. Hagberg, who raced at the second of the Pilot Races last year, makes his series debut after electric touring car commitments ruled him out of the opening two races.

In the championship’s biggest class, 1:8, it is Swiss driver Simon Kurzbuch who comes to Hockenheim as the championship leader with a 3 point advantage over former World Champion Pietsch. The Team Shepherd driver was third at Round 1 and second at Round 2 and will be hoping to continue on that trend this weekend. With last year’s Pilot Race winner Green focusing on 200mm, the favourite for the win has to be Pietsch. In 2012 the German TQ’d and won the European Nitro Championships and last year he was Top Qualifier. Topping qualifying in Melzo but losing out on the win late in the thrilling finale to Lamberto Collari, Pietsch was only 7th last time out and will be hoping his Hockenheim result will ensure that it is his dropped round. Securing a debut win in Aigen, Xray’s John Ermen will be looking to back that up with another strong run this weekend. The Dutch driver is another who didn’t race at the event last year but that shouldn’t hamper him on the large open track where Enneti will provide the controlled tyres for both classes.

Sitting third overall in the standings, Round 2 Top Qualifier Oliver Mack is sure to be in the mix again with the unassuming German having always shown strong at Hockenheim in the European Nitro Challenge. A class that has enjoyed the arrival of a number of new manufacturers, two such teams WRC and BMT will be looking to Italian drivers to bring them their first podium finishes of the championship. WRC’s Andrea Pirani holds 4th in the championship 1 point ahead of BMT’s Daniele Ielasi with the pair involved somewhat in a pride of Italy battle. Veteran racer Michael Salven heads the challenge from 1:8 class stalwarts Serpent. A key supporter of the ENS, the German had a competitive qualifying in Aigen and will be looking to emulate the success his team-mate Green had in Hockenheim last year.

Hagberg to bolster Xray entry at ENS Hockenheim

Having taken their first win of the Euro Nitro Series at Round 2 of the all new nitro onroad championship last month in Austria, Team Xray are to bolster their factory team line-up for Round 3 at Hockenheim in Germany in two weeks (13-15 June). Taking his RX8 to victory in the 1:8 A-Main in Aigen, Dutch ace John Ermen will be joined by Alexander Hagberg as the Slovakian manufacturer looks to also take a first 1:10th ENS victory. While Xray are one of the main sponsors of the ENS, other racing commitments have prevented Hagberg from attending since his participation in the second of last year’s ENS Pilot Races in which the Swede finished 4th.

A race winner and title contender in this season’s world famous Yokomo Euro Touring Series, Hagberg will be hoping to transfer that success over to the highly competitive ENS where he will go up against the same drivers who he will battle with later this year at the 1:10 200mm World Championships in Thailand. Already over 110 entries have been received for Hockenheim, which last year made up the first of the two ENS Pilot Races with Serpent’s Mark Green (1:8) and Capricorn’s Eric Dankel (1:10) taking the wins at the famous German 1:1 racing circuit venue. Both Green and Dankel, who was winner of the season opener in Melzo, are among the entry for Round 3.

Collari confirmed for ENS Round 2 in Austria

1:8 Onroad legend Lamberto Collari has confirmed his entry for Round 2 of the Euro Nitro Series which takes place in Austria over the weekend of May 16-18. The winner of the opening round of the all new nitro onroad championship last month in Melzo, Italy, the 9-time World Champion is one of a number of top Italian drivers who will travel to the Aigen track in Northern Austria. Also confirmed from Italy for the second event of the four events that make up the inaugural ENS race calendar are 2-time 1:10 European Champion Dario Balestri (Capricorn), 1:10 World Championship podium finisher Francesco Tironi (Shepherd), Round 1 1:8 A-Finalist Andrea Pirani (WRC) and former Euro B Champion Mirko Salemi (BP Racing).

Collari, who won the season opener at the controls of his privately entered OS powered Mugen, is again set for a thrilling duel with factory Mugen/Picco driver Robert Pietsch who is also confirmed for Round 2. Other top contenders to have already made their entry for Austria include Round 1 podium finisher Simon Kurzbuch (Shepherd), finalists Silvio Hachler (KM Racing), Oliver Mack (Shepherd) and Michael Salven (Serpent) along with former World Champion Adrien Bertin (HB). Making his ENS championship debut in Austria will be reigning 1:8 European B Champion Daniel Sieber (Shepherd) who won his title at Aigen last year.

In 1:10, Round 1 winner Eric Dankel (Capricorn) and Top Qualifier Teemu Leino (HB) head an entry that also includes former European Champion Dirk Wischnewski (Shepherd) and Melzo finalists Dominic Greiner (Serpent), Alexander Thilo (Xray), Patrick Schafer (Shepherd) and Martin Lissau (Shepherd). For Round 2, the championship, which is supported by Xray, Serpent, Shepherd, Matrix, Contact, Enneti and Hot Race, will see Contact RC Racing tyres provide the expected 100 plus entries with their tyre needs for the 3-day event.

ENS announces 2014 tyre format

The organisers of the 1:10 & 1:8 Nitro Onroad based Euro Nitro Series are pleased to officially announce the tyre format for its inaugural four round championship. Following a recent meeting with industry representatives at the ETS in Germany, the decision was taken that the championship will continue to operate a hand-out controlled tyre system similar to that used during last year’s two race ‘Pilot Series’.

Aiming to meet the wishes of drivers seeking a more level & transparent rule regarding tyres, and also striving to find a system that best supports the tyre industry, each round will see a different tyre manufacturer supply the spec tyre for that weekend. In the case of 1:8 the tyres will be a 32 front/35 rear trued to 69mm and 76mm diameter respectively. For 1:10 the tyres will be 37 front/40 rear shore with a 62mm/64mm diameter.

Scheduled to get underway on April 4-6 in Italy, Round 1 of the championship will see Matrix Racing Tires as the controlled tyre for both categories. Interestingly the Melzo track is owned by Matrix founder & boss Cristian Boni. For the second round, the ENS takes drivers to Austria to the Aigen track where Contact RC will provide driver’s tyre needs for the May 16-18 event.

Moving to Germany for Round 3, returning to the Hockenheimring (13-15 June) which hosted the first of last year’s ENS Pilot Races, Enneti will supply and support driver’s tyre requirements for the 3-day event. For the season finale (17-19 Oct) the championship returns to Italy to the world famous Fiorano track in Italy, drivers will use Hot Race tyres. Using the same system to that used during the Pilot Series, racers will collect new pre-trued tyres on entering the pitlane with the option for drivers to return the tyres before leaving again which will be bagged under that drivers name for the purpose of using them for a second time.

In addition to the tyre schedule organisers have also announced that both the 1:10 and 1:8 class will run 16% Nitro fuel. Entry for Round 1 at Melzo is now open via the MyRCM website – www.myrcm.ch.

2014 Euro Nitro Series Calendar

Round 1 (4–6 April)
Track – Melzo/Italy
Tyre – Matrix

Round 2 (16–18 May)
Track – Aigen/Austria
Tyre – Contact

Round 3 (13–15 June)
Track – Hockenheim/Germany
Tyre – Enneti

Round 4 (17–19 October)
Track – Fiorano/Italy
Tyre – Hot Race